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Underpants thumbnail 2
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Underpants

1986-1987 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Pair of men's Y-front cotton underpants.

Delve deeper

Discover more about this object
read A brief history of men's underwear From 19th-century ruffle-fronted shirts to 1990s Calvin Kleins, Shaun Cole, Associate Professor in Fashion at Winchester School of Art, explores the hidden history of men's underwear in this edited extract from the V&A book, 'Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear'.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cotton
Brief description
Pair of men's Y-front cotton underpants, made by Jockey, possibly in England or United States, 1986-1987
Physical description
Pair of men's Y-front cotton underpants.
Dimensions
  • Width of widest bead width: 3.5cm
  • Waist circumference: 65cm (Note: Measured by Conservation)
  • Outside leg length: 14cm (Note: Measured by Conservation)
  • Crotch depth (front waist to back waist through crotch) measured inside garment length: 60cm (Note: Measured by Conservation)
Marks and inscriptions
'Y FRONT' and 'JOCKEY' (Along the elastic waist)
Gallery label
An American Innovation Design and Technology are crucial to the development of the underwear industry. Arthur Kneibler designed the Jockey short for Cooper's Inc., Wisconsin, USA, in 1934. Its enormous success led to the introduction of the Jockey Y-Front brief the following year. Lyle & Scott produced Y-fronts under licence for the British and Northern European markets. Y-front brief Jockey International Inc. and Lyle & Scott USA, Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Scotland, Rosyth, 1986-7 Cotton V&A: T.44-1987 Given by the manufacturer(16/04/2016-12/03/2017)
Credit line
Given by the manufacturer
Object history
Registered File number 1987/325.
Collection
Accession number
T.44-1987

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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